Apparatus and methods for adapting mobile unit to wireless lan

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically adapting a mobile unit to communication requirements of a particular country or geographic region. To achieve this capability, the invention comprises a method for operating a wireless data communications network including a mobile unit and one or more access points, wherein the method includes the steps of: receiving in the mobile unit announcement messages broadcast by one or more of the access points, each of said messages having a unique frequency characteristic associated with the geographic location of the access point from which it was sent; determining, in said mobile unit, an allowable frequency set in the geographic region associated with the access point from which each of said messages was sent; and adjusting the frequency set of the mobile unit to send messages on said allowable frequency set. The invention may then adjust other operating characteristics in a similar fashion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/747,034, entitled “------”, filed Oct. 27, 1995, herein expressly incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates to data communication systems, and more particularly to a wireless local area network (LAN) communication system in which mobile units associate with stationary access points having communications characteristics defined by the particular country in which the LAN is installed.

[0004] 2. The Background Art

[0005] A wireless LAN may be implemented by remote mobile units (mobile units) that send messages to and receive messages from base stations or Stationary Access Points (Stationary Access Points) using wireless infrared or radio communication links. Each Stationary Access Point covers a limited area, so a typical network may have several Stationary Access Points.

[0006] One protocol that may be used is the IEEE 802.11 Standard which is a standard that defines physical and data link layers for wireless local networks. The standard defines, among other things, the wireless LAN medium access control (MAC) and physical (PHY) layer specifications.

[0007] For a message to be transmitted, a mobile unit first becomes associated with an Stationary Access Point. Association refers to the process of synchronizing a mobile unit with an Stationary Access Point for communication, and is initiated by the mobile unit. The mobile unit first listens to the broadcasts over the airwaves and determines which Stationary Access Points are within range of the mobile unit, and then requests association with a particular Stationary Access Point according to certain criteria. At any point in time, a mobile unit is typically associated with only one Stationary Access Point. A single Stationary Access Point can be associated with multiple mobile units.

[0008] With the ever-growing global market, it is common for users to travel from country to country. A problem therefore occurs, in that one country may allocate a different portion of the frequency spectrum to wireless communications than another country. Additionally, different countries may have different regulations regarding power output of wireless communications. These allocations and regulations may prevent a mobile unit which is designed for use in one country from working (or being allowed to work) in another country.

[0009] What is needed, then, is a system and method for allowing a mobile unit to meet regulatory requirements and adapt to and communicate with Stationary Access Points having different communication characteristics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically adapting a mobile unit to communication requirements of a particular country or geographic region. To achieve this capability, the invention comprises a method for operating a wireless data communications network including a mobile unit and one or more access points, wherein the method includes the steps of: receiving in the mobile unit announcement messages broadcast by one or more of the access points, each of said messages having a unique frequency characteristic associated with the geographic location of the access point from which it was sent; determining, in said mobile unit, an allowable frequency set in the geographic region associated with the access point from which each of said messages was sent; and adjusting the frequency set of the mobile unit to send messages on said allowable frequency set. The invention may then adjust other operating characteristics in a similar fashion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0011]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a wireless network architecture.

[0012]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a wireless data communications network according to a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons.

[0014]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a wireless network architecture. Host 10 is connected to Stationary Access Point 12 and Stationary Access Point 14. Stationary Access Point 12 handles wireless communications within area 16, and Stationary Access Point 14 handles communications within area 18. As shown in FIG. 1, therefore, Stationary Access Point 12 is in communication range of mobile unit 20 and mobile unit 22, and Stationary Access Point 14 is in communication range of mobile unit 20 and mobile unit 24. Mobile unit 20 is in communication range of either Stationary Access Point 12 or Stationary Access Point 14, although mobile unit 20 preferably only communicates with one of them at a time.

[0015] In one scenario, mobile unit 20 associates with an Stationary Access Point, for example Stationary Access Point 12, and thereafter communicates with Stationary Access Point 12 to transmit messages to the host or to other mobile units. If mobile unit 20 is associated with Stationary Access Point 12, mobile unit 20 could transmit a message to mobile unit 22 via Stationary Access Point 12, or to mobile unit 24 via Stationary Access Point 12, host 10, and Stationary Access Point 14.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a grouping of hosts and/or mobile units make up a wireless local area network (LAN).

[0017] Systems similar to the one depicted in FIG. 1 are found throughout the world. Each system, however, typically has different operating parameters in each country. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mobile unit is designed which may operate at a variety of different frequencies. The range of frequencies should be large enough to encompass some of the frequencies available for wireless communications in each country or geographic region in which the mobile unit may operate. Additionally, the mobile unit is designed to operate at a variety of different power settings, again with the range of power settings large enough to encompass at least some allowable power settings in each country in which the mobile unit may operate. These features allow the mobile unit to operate in a variety of different countries or geographic regions.

[0018] Furthermore, the mobile unit is designed to automatically configure itself for use in individual countries or geographic regions. This may be accomplished by running a program or method contained in either software or hardware within the mobile unit. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. At step 50, the mobile unit scans the frequency spectrum, listening for announcement messages broadcast by access points. This may encompass tuning to each available frequency an announcement message from a nearby access point is received. The announcement message will have a frequency characteristic that is unique to a particular geographic region or country.

[0019] At step 52, the frequency characteristics of the received announcement message are compared with a table or equivalent data structure contained in memory. The table may contain a listing of the breakdown of the frequency spectrum for all the different available countries or geographic regions. It also may list regulations on power output or other regulations important to the functioning of the mobile unit. At step 54, a matching country or geographic region is found. At this point, the mobile unit has determined what country or geographic region in which it is operating. At step 56, the mobile unit adjusts its operating frequency range to correspond to the country or geographic region in which it is operating. It may also alter other operating characteristics, such as power output and modulation type, in accordance with the regulations listed in the table or other data structure corresponding to the country in which the unit is located.

[0020] After the geographic region frequency and power settings (and any other operating characteristics) have been adapted for use in the country or geographic region in which the unit is located, the mobile unit operates similarly to a conventional mobile unit.

[0021] Some regulations require that the regulations themselves be displayed to the user. Normally, these regulations would be placed on the outer surface of a unit capable of transmitting in the country. However, since the unit of the present invention may be capable of transmission in many different countries, this may not be feasible. Therefore, the unit may be configured such that, after the unit has determined the country in which it is located, the proper regulatory information is displayed to the user.

[0022] Referring back to FIG. 1, Stationary Access Point 12, Stationary Access Point 14, and host 10 may be implemented in hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. Mobile unit 22, mobile unit 20 and mobile unit 24 may be implemented as programmable processor-based units executing software modules. An embodiment of the process performed by the software modules is described below. In one embodiment, mobile units 20, 22 and 24 are hand-held data-gathering units.

[0023] The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,183 to Tymes, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,803 to Tymes et al., both assigned to Symbol Technologies, Inc., are hereby incorporated by reference herein. These patents show systems in which methods and apparatus consistent with the principles of the present invention may be practiced. Each patent describes a system in which hand-held data-gathering mobile units communicate via wireless link with Stationary Access Points, similar to the system shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] In another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile unit may be configured so that the user must verify the country in which they are located. For example, if the mobile unit determines through looking at the table that it is currently located in Switzerland, a message may appear on a display screen on the mobile unit saying “You are in Switzerland. Is this correct? (Y/N)”. The user may then be required to confirm that they are indeed in Switzerland before the mobile unit reconfigures its settings to comply with Swiss standards. This reduces the chance of the unit mistakenly configuring itself to specific characteristics which may violate certain regulations.

[0025] In another embodiment of the present invention, a Global Positioning System (GPS) locator may be built into the mobile unit, allowing the unit to verify its location instead of or in addition to requiring confirmation from the user. This feature also reduces the chance of the unit mistakenly configuring itself to specific characteristics which may violate certain regulations.

[0026] In another embodiment of the present invention, the multiple geographic region feature (the feature embodied by the above methods) may be enabled or disabled by a user. When the feature is disabled, the mobile unit merely attempts to establish communication using a communication setting for a particular geographic region. This setting may be, for example, a default setting or the setting in use at the time the mobile unit was last turned off.

[0027] While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a wireless data communications network including a mobile unit and one or more access points, wherein the method includes the steps of: receiving in the mobile unit announcement messages broadcast by one or more of the access points, each of said messages having a unique frequency characteristic associated with the geographic location of the access point from which it was sent; determining, in said mobile unit, an allowable frequency set in the geographic region associated with the access point from which each of said messages was sent; and adjusting the frequency set of the mobile unit to send messages on said allowable frequency set.
 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining step includes the steps of: comparing said unique frequency characteristics of said messages to a table stored in memory, said table containing a listing of various allowable frequency sets for corresponding to different geographic regions; matching said unique frequency characteristics to a single geographic region in the table; and referring to said allowable frequency set corresponding to said single geographic region.
 3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various allowable power output levels corresponding to different geographic regions.
 4. The method of claim 3 , further including the steps of: referring to said allowable power output levels corresponding to said single geographic region; and adjusting the power output level of the mobile unit to operate within said allowable power output levels.
 5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various regulations corresponding to different geographic regions.
 6. The method of claim 5 , further including the step of: displaying said regulations corresponding to the geographic region in which the unit is located to a user.
 7. The method of claim 6 , further including the steps of: referring to said regulations corresponding to said single geographic region; and adjusting the operating characteristics of the mobile unit to comply with said regulations.
 8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile units are hand-held data gathering units.
 9. The method of claim 1 , further including the steps of: sending a message to a user to verify that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with said access point is correct; and transmitting only if said user verifies that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with said access point is correct.
 10. The method of claim 1 , further including the steps of: utilizing a Global Positioning System locator to verify the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located; and transmitting only if said Global Positioning System locator verifies that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with said access point is correct.
 11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user may disable the feature which executes the method.
 12. A method for operating a mobile unit, the mobile unit designed for use in a wireless network and located in a geographic region, the method comprising the steps of: scanning the frequency spectrum until an announcement message from an access point is detected; examining the frequency characteristics of said announcement message; comparing said frequency characteristics with a table in memory; determining the geographic region by matching said frequency characteristics with a geographic region listed in said table, said table also listing a frequency range for each geographic region; and adjusting the operating frequency range of the mobile unit to correspond with said frequency range corresponding to the geographic region.
 13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various allowable power output levels corresponding to each geographic region.
 14. The method of claim 13 , further including the step of adjusting the power output level of the mobile unit to correspond with said allowable power output levels corresponding to the geographic region.
 15. The method of claim 12 , wherein said table further includes a list of various regulations corresponding to each geographic region.
 16. The method of claim 15 , further including the step of: displaying said regulations corresponding to the geographic region in which the unit is located to a user.
 17. The method of claim 15 , further including the step of adjusting the operating characteristics of the mobile unit to correspond with said regulations corresponding to the geographic region.
 18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mobile unit is a hand-held data gathering unit.
 19. The method of claim 12 , further including the steps of: sending a message to a user to verify that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is correct; and transmitting only if said user verifies that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is correct.
 20. The method of claim 12 , further including the steps of: utilizing a Global Positioning System locator to verify the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located; transmitting only if said Global Positioning Sensor locator verifies that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is equivalent to the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located.
 21. The method of claim 12 , wherein a user may disable the feature which executes the method.
 22. A mobile unit for use in a wireless data communications network including one or more access points, wherein the frequency set of the mobile unit may be modified and the mobile unit includes: a receiver which receives in the mobile unit announcement messages broadcast by one or more of the access points, each of said messages having a unique frequency characteristic associated with the geographic location of the access point from which it was sent; a processing unit, which determines an allowable frequency set in the geographic region associated with the access point from which each of said messages was sent; and a frequency set adjuster, which adjusts the frequency set to send messages on said allowable frequency set.
 23. The mobile unit of claim 22 , wherein said processing unit includes: a comparator, which compares said unique frequency characteristics of said messages to a table stored in memory, said table containing a listing of various allowable frequency sets for corresponding to different geographic regions; a matcher, which matches said unique frequency characteristics to a single geographic region in the table; and a first reader, which refers to said allowable frequency set corresponding to said single geographic region.
 24. The mobile unit of claim 23 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various allowable power output levels corresponding to different geographic regions.
 25. The mobile unit of claim 24 , wherein the power output level of the mobile unit may be adjusted and the mobile unit includes: a second reader, which refers to said allowable power output levels corresponding to said single geographic region; and a power output level adjuster, which adjusts the power output level of the mobile unit to operate within said allowable power output levels.
 26. The mobile unit of claim 23 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various regulations corresponding to different geographic regions.
 27. The mobile unit of claim 26 , further including: a display, which displays said regulations corresponding to the geographic region in which the unit is located to a user.
 28. The mobile unit of claim 26 , wherein the operating characteristics of the mobile unit may be adjusted and the mobile unit includes: a third reader, which refers to said regulations corresponding to said single geographic region; and an operating characteristics adjuster, which adjusts the operating characteristics of the mobile unit to comply with said regulations.
 29. The mobile unit of claim 22 , wherein the mobile unit is a hand-held data gathering unit.
 30. The mobile unit of claim 22 , further including: a display; a display transmitter, which sends a message to the display so that a user may verify that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with the access point is correct; and a wireless transmitter, which transmits only if said user verifies that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with said access point is correct.
 31. The mobile unit of claim 22 , further including: a Global Positioning System locator, which verifies the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located; and a wireless transmitter, which transmits only if said Global Positioning System locator verifies that said geographic region that the mobile unit determines is associated with said access point is correct.
 32. The mobile unit of claim 22 , wherein a user may disable the multiple geographic region feature.
 33. A mobile unit for use in a wireless network, the mobile unit located in a geographic region and including: a frequency scanner, which scans the frequency spectrum until an announcement message from an access point is detected; a frequency characteristics detector, which examines the frequency characteristics of said announcement message; a comparator, which compares said frequency characteristics with a table in memory; a determiner, which determines the geographic region by matching said frequency characteristics with a geographic region listed in said table, said table also listing a frequency range for each geographic region; and a frequency adjuster, which adjusts the operating frequency range of the mobile unit to correspond with said frequency range corresponding to the geographic region.
 34. The mobile unit of claim 33 , wherein said table further includes a listing of various allowable power output levels corresponding to each geographic region.
 35. The mobile unit of claim 33 , further including a power output adjuster, which adjusts the power output level of the mobile unit to correspond with said allowable power output levels corresponding to the geographic region.
 36. The mobile unit of claim 33 , wherein said table further includes a list of various regulations corresponding to each geographic region.
 37. The mobile unit of claim 36 , further including: a display, which displays said regulations corresponding to the geographic region in which the unit is located to a user.
 38. The mobile unit of claim 36 , further including an operating characteristics adjuster, which adjusts the operating characteristics of the mobile unit to correspond with said regulations corresponding to the geographic region.
 39. The mobile unit of claim 33 , wherein the mobile unit is a hand-held data gathering unit.
 40. The mobile unit of claim 33 , further including: a display; a display transmitter, which sends a message to said display so that a user may verify that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is correct; and a wireless transmitter, which transmits only if said user verifies that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is correct.
 41. The mobile unit of claim 33 , further including: a Global Positioning System locator, which verifies the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located; and a wireless transmitter, which transmits only if said Global Positioning Sensor locator verifies that the geographic region determined by the mobile unit is equivalent to the geographic region in which the mobile unit is located.
 42. The mobile unit of claim 33 , wherein a user may disable the multiple geographic region feature. 